Well, folks, let me tell ya--Alabama is one LONG State! We had a fantastic remainder of our week in Panama City Beach and began driving home two Saturdays ago. We were told that the drive would be shorter if we drove back to Kentucky through Alabama, so we decided to attempt that route. Chad's sweet daddy drove over to Dothan from Thomasville to meet us for lunch on the way back. We met him around 2 and had a great time at Dothan's very own "Old Mexico." After we departed, we headed north through Montgomery and then Birmingham. I had always though that Alabama sort of ended after Birmingham, and then you just drove on into Tennessee on I65. Well, I was very WRONG!
We originally planned to drive straight through and arrive back in Hebron in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Well, once 10:30 rolled around, and we discovered we still hadn't escaped Alabama, we decided to stop at Comfort Suites in Cullman and spend the night. I was so glad we did! We left the hotel at 9 the next morning, and we still did not arrive home until around 4 on Sunday afternoon, which was just enough time for me to make a much-needed Kroger run and to unpack all our suitcases.
We started our week with a normal Monday on the next day--Chad went to work, and the kids and I went to Classical Conversations. We had a great morning, but by 1 that afternoon, I was BEAT! I took a nap, and then I woke up to coughing kids. I knew we had "over-sugared" on vacation, and so I knew (based on years of experience), that unless I caught it in time and stopped Mary Beth's carb consumption for a few days, she'd likely be barking like a seal by the end of the week. Unfortunately, she was barking away by Friday, and Noah was a pretty snotty kiddo, too. :(
So......I got to become their worst nightmare: The No-Sugar Nazi Mom! And I mean NO sugar...like no refined carbs...not a bite! Sugar feeds bacteria and fungi--the two things that usually cause coughing for my kids, and I've noticed that the best way to get rid of a cold is to eat soley meat, cheese, veggies, and strawberries for a few days. It's been a while since I've had to be THAT strict with my kids, and we had to work VERY hard on keeping good attitudes about the whole process.
The most difficult part was that Chad and I had signed up to serve at all four services on the main campus at church that Saturday and Sunday. We were to dress up as movie characters and greet children who arrived for our "At the Movies" evangelistic outreach. Mary Beth had already gotten it in her little head that she was going to get to enjoy movie popcorn SIX times over the weekend, and it was very sad when I had to tell her that popcorn is FULL of carbs. :(
I think the kids still had a great time, though. There is a special room called "V-Kids" where children of volunteers get to stay and hang out in a supervised area so that they don't have to attend a whole bunch of identical children's services--unless they just want to. I think Mary Beth and Noah each went to 3 of the kids' services, and attended V-Kids for 3 services, over the weekend. They got to meet LOTS of kids from Seven Hills who don't attend the same Saturday night service that we usually go to, and that was a big treat!
Chad and I had chosen Fred and Wilma Flintstone as the cartoon characters we would be for the weekend. Chad's costume came with a mask, but mine didn't, so--realist that I am--I got up Saturday morning and dyed my hair red (using a product that's supposed to last through a "mere" 28 washes--I'm trying to wash it 7 times a day now to see if we can speed things up!)
We greeted church attendees at both services on Saturday night, and we were joined by a sweet young mom, also from Hebron, who was dressed up as Snow White. She has a precious young daughter, and we enjoyed chatting about a possible future for them with homeschooling.
Randy Christian is one of the friends we made while attending the Summit class series last month at Seven Hills. He is a part-time photographer, and he volunteered to take all the pictures on Sunday. He did a wonderful job, and he was VERY prompt in posting the images to Facebook (which is where I swiped these from). I don't have any actual pics of us in the Flintstones costumes, but here's a pic, taken by Randy Christian, of someone else wearing the Fred costume on a previous weekend.
Chad was originally excited about having a costume with a mask, but he soon realized how quickly heat gets trapped inside that thing, and how he couldn't really communicate with anyone, and how all but TWO of the kids who came were scared.to.death!!!! of him. During the second Saturday night service, we slipped back to the costume area and looked at some more options for Sunday.
The Buzz Lightyear costume looked like it would get a tad warm inside, too, but the Woody costume looked wonderful, and we knew that most kids attending would be able to identify with Woody, so we got permission to switch up and be Toy Story characters on Sunday.
After church, we got to go out to dinner with a really neat couple--Mike and Jeannetta Gaunt. Mike is a pro body builder, and Chad has pretty much coveted his muscles since the first day we saw them at church. We had a great meal at O'Charley's, and we had great conversation about exercise and nutrition.
At 10 p.m., we left O'Charley's and headed for Target. If Chad was going to be Woody, that meant I would need to dress my red-headed self as Jessie. There was no Jessie costume at church, so I talked Chad into buying me a great pair of boots, and I bought some fabric markers to embellish and "westernize" a hand-me-down white blouse I'd found in a basket from Aunt Karen Byron. We'd be able to snag a cowboy hat from the costume box at church the next morning, and if I could just braid my hair right, we'd be all set!
Here is the finished product:
Sunday was much more fun! All of the kids who came INSTANTLY recognized "Woody," and Chad was actually able to interact with them since he didn't have on a mask. Lots of the kids wanted to give hugs to Jessie as well. I was so thankful to be back in my element! Wilma Flintstone's costume had made bending and squatting a bit difficult, but it was very easy for me to squat down on the floor and greet kids in my jeans. Speaking of "Jeans," I even heard some "Miss Pattycake" (Jean Thomason) leak from my mouth at one point when I exclaimed, "My FRIENDS are here!" at some preschoolers! I loved getting to tell little doll-toting toddlers that I was SO GLAD they'd brought their babies to church because Jesus thinks children are VERY special! It was a morning full of smiles, hugs, and photos!
Here are some pics of us doing what my heart loves to do most:
Most of the ministering/greeting Chad and I did was during the transition times between services. We did walk in for the message part of one service. This past weekend, they used the movie, 127 Hours, to share about how Jesus can rescue us when we fall into a pit. Many came to know Jesus that morning! We were way excited! :) During the "message" portions of the other three services on Sunday, we enjoyed finally getting to know some of the other staff members and key leaders from Seven Hills. We'd already been blessed to meet and spend some fun time with Children's Pastor Tony and Amanda Giordano, but it was great to finally meet
Missions Pastor Eric Wagner's wife, Tina! We also got to chat with Creative Pastor Matt Jones and meet his sweet wife and baby. Here's a picture with Senior Pastor Marcus Mecum, along with Buzz Lightyear and Snow White (Kenneth and Sara Holzer). Mark 16:18 comes to mind when I look at this picture. :)
We defnitely felt like we were a real part of the Seven Hills team this weekend, and we are very thankful for the opportunity to serve!
Well, we survived the drive through Alabama, and we've survived fairly well without eating our normal carbs, but I'm so thankful we've gotten to CELEBRATE God's goodness to us, and His love for us! We are grateful that He has surrounded us with people who want to see Him glorified and who want to show His love to the people of this area!
What about you? Do you feel like you're just surviving? In your home? In your church? In your situation? Let me encourage you to do something to SERVE someone in the Name of Jesus...and watch for Him to give you a reason to Celebrate!
Blessings from the North Bend!
--Kristie
We originally planned to drive straight through and arrive back in Hebron in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Well, once 10:30 rolled around, and we discovered we still hadn't escaped Alabama, we decided to stop at Comfort Suites in Cullman and spend the night. I was so glad we did! We left the hotel at 9 the next morning, and we still did not arrive home until around 4 on Sunday afternoon, which was just enough time for me to make a much-needed Kroger run and to unpack all our suitcases.
We started our week with a normal Monday on the next day--Chad went to work, and the kids and I went to Classical Conversations. We had a great morning, but by 1 that afternoon, I was BEAT! I took a nap, and then I woke up to coughing kids. I knew we had "over-sugared" on vacation, and so I knew (based on years of experience), that unless I caught it in time and stopped Mary Beth's carb consumption for a few days, she'd likely be barking like a seal by the end of the week. Unfortunately, she was barking away by Friday, and Noah was a pretty snotty kiddo, too. :(
So......I got to become their worst nightmare: The No-Sugar Nazi Mom! And I mean NO sugar...like no refined carbs...not a bite! Sugar feeds bacteria and fungi--the two things that usually cause coughing for my kids, and I've noticed that the best way to get rid of a cold is to eat soley meat, cheese, veggies, and strawberries for a few days. It's been a while since I've had to be THAT strict with my kids, and we had to work VERY hard on keeping good attitudes about the whole process.
The most difficult part was that Chad and I had signed up to serve at all four services on the main campus at church that Saturday and Sunday. We were to dress up as movie characters and greet children who arrived for our "At the Movies" evangelistic outreach. Mary Beth had already gotten it in her little head that she was going to get to enjoy movie popcorn SIX times over the weekend, and it was very sad when I had to tell her that popcorn is FULL of carbs. :(
I think the kids still had a great time, though. There is a special room called "V-Kids" where children of volunteers get to stay and hang out in a supervised area so that they don't have to attend a whole bunch of identical children's services--unless they just want to. I think Mary Beth and Noah each went to 3 of the kids' services, and attended V-Kids for 3 services, over the weekend. They got to meet LOTS of kids from Seven Hills who don't attend the same Saturday night service that we usually go to, and that was a big treat!
Chad and I had chosen Fred and Wilma Flintstone as the cartoon characters we would be for the weekend. Chad's costume came with a mask, but mine didn't, so--realist that I am--I got up Saturday morning and dyed my hair red (using a product that's supposed to last through a "mere" 28 washes--I'm trying to wash it 7 times a day now to see if we can speed things up!)
We greeted church attendees at both services on Saturday night, and we were joined by a sweet young mom, also from Hebron, who was dressed up as Snow White. She has a precious young daughter, and we enjoyed chatting about a possible future for them with homeschooling.
Randy Christian is one of the friends we made while attending the Summit class series last month at Seven Hills. He is a part-time photographer, and he volunteered to take all the pictures on Sunday. He did a wonderful job, and he was VERY prompt in posting the images to Facebook (which is where I swiped these from). I don't have any actual pics of us in the Flintstones costumes, but here's a pic, taken by Randy Christian, of someone else wearing the Fred costume on a previous weekend.
Chad was originally excited about having a costume with a mask, but he soon realized how quickly heat gets trapped inside that thing, and how he couldn't really communicate with anyone, and how all but TWO of the kids who came were scared.to.death!!!! of him. During the second Saturday night service, we slipped back to the costume area and looked at some more options for Sunday.
The Buzz Lightyear costume looked like it would get a tad warm inside, too, but the Woody costume looked wonderful, and we knew that most kids attending would be able to identify with Woody, so we got permission to switch up and be Toy Story characters on Sunday.
After church, we got to go out to dinner with a really neat couple--Mike and Jeannetta Gaunt. Mike is a pro body builder, and Chad has pretty much coveted his muscles since the first day we saw them at church. We had a great meal at O'Charley's, and we had great conversation about exercise and nutrition.
At 10 p.m., we left O'Charley's and headed for Target. If Chad was going to be Woody, that meant I would need to dress my red-headed self as Jessie. There was no Jessie costume at church, so I talked Chad into buying me a great pair of boots, and I bought some fabric markers to embellish and "westernize" a hand-me-down white blouse I'd found in a basket from Aunt Karen Byron. We'd be able to snag a cowboy hat from the costume box at church the next morning, and if I could just braid my hair right, we'd be all set!
Here is the finished product:
Sunday was much more fun! All of the kids who came INSTANTLY recognized "Woody," and Chad was actually able to interact with them since he didn't have on a mask. Lots of the kids wanted to give hugs to Jessie as well. I was so thankful to be back in my element! Wilma Flintstone's costume had made bending and squatting a bit difficult, but it was very easy for me to squat down on the floor and greet kids in my jeans. Speaking of "Jeans," I even heard some "Miss Pattycake" (Jean Thomason) leak from my mouth at one point when I exclaimed, "My FRIENDS are here!" at some preschoolers! I loved getting to tell little doll-toting toddlers that I was SO GLAD they'd brought their babies to church because Jesus thinks children are VERY special! It was a morning full of smiles, hugs, and photos!
Here are some pics of us doing what my heart loves to do most:
Most of the ministering/greeting Chad and I did was during the transition times between services. We did walk in for the message part of one service. This past weekend, they used the movie, 127 Hours, to share about how Jesus can rescue us when we fall into a pit. Many came to know Jesus that morning! We were way excited! :) During the "message" portions of the other three services on Sunday, we enjoyed finally getting to know some of the other staff members and key leaders from Seven Hills. We'd already been blessed to meet and spend some fun time with Children's Pastor Tony and Amanda Giordano, but it was great to finally meet
Missions Pastor Eric Wagner's wife, Tina! We also got to chat with Creative Pastor Matt Jones and meet his sweet wife and baby. Here's a picture with Senior Pastor Marcus Mecum, along with Buzz Lightyear and Snow White (Kenneth and Sara Holzer). Mark 16:18 comes to mind when I look at this picture. :)
We defnitely felt like we were a real part of the Seven Hills team this weekend, and we are very thankful for the opportunity to serve!
Well, we survived the drive through Alabama, and we've survived fairly well without eating our normal carbs, but I'm so thankful we've gotten to CELEBRATE God's goodness to us, and His love for us! We are grateful that He has surrounded us with people who want to see Him glorified and who want to show His love to the people of this area!
What about you? Do you feel like you're just surviving? In your home? In your church? In your situation? Let me encourage you to do something to SERVE someone in the Name of Jesus...and watch for Him to give you a reason to Celebrate!
Blessings from the North Bend!
--Kristie
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing what is going on in your life and encourging me in mine... Sending love your way!!
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